Tarot & Lilith: Reclaiming The Devil, Desire, and Divine Autonomy

Certain figures in mythology have been flattened into caricatures, and Lilith is one of them. Depending on who you ask, she is a demon, a seductress, a destroyer of infants, a night spirit, the first wife of Adam, or the embodiment of forbidden sexuality. But when you look deeper, when you peel back layers of patriarchal storytelling, Lilith becomes something else entirely—what emerges is not a villain, but divine autonomy.

In this exploration of Tarot and Lilith, I want to look at her through the lens of The Devil card, especially as she appears in The Goddess of Love Tarot Deck by Gabriela Herstik and illustrated by Julia Popescu. I also draw from The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets by Barbara G. Walker.

What We Explore in This Episode:

• Lilith as depicted in The Devil card in The Goddess of Love Tarot Deck

• Historical and mythological references to Lilith

• The demonization of feminine autonomy in patriarchal traditions

• The erotic divine feminine as creative, sovereign power

Lilith in The Devil Card

In The Goddess of Love Tarot, The Devil depicts Lilith with red wings, a serpent coiling around her body, a pentagram framing her presence, and blood drops falling from her wings. Her face is partially obscured by the snake—a powerful symbol of knowledge, temptation, and rebirth.

The Devil in tarot is often misunderstood. We are taught to see it as addiction, bondage, manipulation, or sin. And yes, those themes can appear, but at its core, The Devil asks:

• What are you attached to?

• Who benefits from your fear?

• What power have you handed away?

When Lilith inhabits The Devil archetype, the card shifts. It becomes less about shame and more about sovereignty.

The Demonization of Autonomy

Across myth and religious history, powerful women are often reframed as dangerous. Erotic women are labeled corrupting. Independent women are labeled chaotic. Creative women are labeled threatening.

Lilith becomes the archetype of what happens when a woman refuses control: mLilith did not submit, and that refusal disrupted hierarchy.

The Devil card asks us to look at where we have internalized similar narratives. 

• Where have we been told our desire is dangerous? 
• Where have we been taught that autonomy is selfish? 
• Where has erotic energy been severed from sacredness?

The Erotic Divine Feminine

Erotic energy is not just sexual expression; it is a creative force. It is the energy that births ideas, art, identity, resistance, and transformation. It is the life force that says, “I exist fully and on my own terms.”

In this light, The Devil is not merely temptation, but also a mirror that reveals where we have bound ourselves to expectations that are not ours. To worship at Lilith’s altar is to worship the totality of the self, your shadows included.

💭 Today's Tarot Pull:

From The Sasuraibito Tarot deck, I pulled The Star.

The Star reminds us that autonomy does not isolate us. It connects us to a larger field of possibility. Hope is not naïve, it's radical. And sometimes, the most rebellious thing we can do is believe in our own light.

Reflective prompts on this card:

• Where have I internalized fear about my own desire or autonomy?

• What part of myself was labeled “too much” or “too dangerous”?

• What expectations am I still living under that no longer serve me?

• What would it look like to build my life from self-trust instead of shame?

• What would I ask for if I truly believed the answer could be yes?

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